Through a dream, God assured a guilt-ridden Jacob that He'd stick with him, protect him, and carry through on promises to his grandfather and father.

Through Moses, God assured an apprehensive Joshua that He'd be there for him as he assumed the leadership mantle and engaged hostile forces in battle. Encouraging words. But why did the author of Hebrews quote Moses' words as the basis for his call to contentment?

1. Why do you think God revealed Himself to Jacob when he was on the run?



2. Can you legitimately apply God's promise to Jacob (in v. 15c) to your life? Why or why not?



3. How would the Lord's assurance, delivered through Moses, help Joshua to confidently cope with increased responsibility and looming danger?



4. The author of Hebrews implies that a preoccupation with material gain reveals a lack of confidence in God's sufficiency for your needs. Can you accept this application of God's words to Joshua?



5. If your drive for financial security is elbowing out full trust in God, His provision, and His protection, what needs to change?

Ask God to give you an increased appreciation for all you have and a growing trust in Him to supply what you need.

¹⁰Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹²As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

¹³At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, "I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you."

⁷Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, "Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. ⁸Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."

⁵Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." ⁶So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"

Prayer for the Week

Lord, keep me from accumulating things just to fill a void in my life that only You can fill.

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